Unnamed Memory Vol.1

“My son… My son has…” “Did he fall in?!” She looked up at Als with a face that seemed drained of blood and just nodded in shock. “Als!” Meredina grabbed his collar. He shrugged off his jacket and unbuckled his sword belt before diving right into the moat. Though illuminated for the festival, the water still proved to be dark and murky. Squinting, Als swam to the bottom. The moat was about four men deep. The lack of a current made it easier to swim, but it also made the water cloudy. Als’s vision was obscured by illuminated clumps of mud, and as he looked around, he began to panic. Just when he thought he should return to the surface for a breath… A hazy, glowing ball of light suddenly grew in size. It expanded rapidly, eating up the dark until the field of vision beneath the waters of the moat looked no different than on dry land in daytime. Als boggled over what had just happened, but he kept searching and finally spotted a boy of about two years old floating some ways away. He grabbed the child’s unconscious body and kicked his way back up to the surface. When he finally breached and took a deep breath, cheers erupted all around him. “Meredina, help.” Als lifted the child up, and Meredina hauled the boy out and began tending to him. “It’s all right. He has a pulse, and it looks like he didn’t swallow much water,” she said, consoling the child’s ghostly pale mother. “Th-thank you so much!” The woman was in tears as she thanked them both, hugging her child. A physician came running up and, soon after, departed with the parent and child. It was best to have the boy examined just to be safe, after all. Als watched them go as he wrung out his sodden clothing. “Ah… It’s a good thing I didn’t drink…” “Of course it was.” “It was hard to see down there; I was getting pretty worried. Oh, actually… Which mage made these lights?” “That would be me. I deeply apologize for my carelessness.” In response to Als’s loud question, someone in the crowd lifted a pale

hand. Tinasha came forward, and as Als caught sight of her, he fell into a trance for a moment. He wound a wet strand of hair around his fingers. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean you were negligent… You really helped me by making the light brighter. Thank you,” he managed after a moment. Tinasha said nothing and bowed her head. Looking past the girl, Als saw that the robed mage stationed next to her had noticed the commotion. He lifted a sigil-inscribed hand as their gazes met. As the crowd of onlookers began to disperse, Meredina held out Als’s sword belt. “For now, go get changed.” “Yeah…okay.” Als and Meredina set off for the guardroom. Once they were a safe distance from the moat, Als shouted, “That was a shock! Who was that beautiful girl? Has she always been in the castle…?” “Apparently, she’s a mage who was in the witch’s tower. His Highness took her as his companion,” Meredina muttered in hushed tones, like she was talking about something ominous. “Oh right! I heard about that. I see. No wonder.” “What’s no wonder?” Als shook his head, sending the water droplets clinging to his hair flying. Meredina got caught in the spray and frowned, looking annoyed. “No, it’s just that I didn’t think His Highness was the type to hang around women, so it surprised me to hear that… But it’s totally understandable in this case.” “What’s totally understandable?!” Meredina snapped. “Getting jealous?” Als needled. Meredina punched the general in the back as hard as she could. As the festival wore on into the night, Tinasha floated in the sky above the castle and gazed down at the city below her. Filled with multicolored lights, the city was like a jewel box laid out on a jet-black cloth. The hem of Tinasha’s black dress fluttering in the breeze, she blew on the paper bird in her hands. The little folded thing was a decoration sold at a festival stall, and its white wings quivered slightly. “Tinasha!” Oscar called out from below. She saw he was standing on the

castle walkway and slowly descended to him. “You’ve got good eyes,” she said. “Everything around you looks kind of fuzzy and bright.” “What? How?” Tinasha hadn’t been using any magical camouflage, but she’d purposely changed into a black dress so she wouldn’t be as easily spotted from the ground. Curious, she looked down at her own outfit, and Oscar laughed. “You sure you don’t want to walk around the festival? You were looking forward to it so much.” “I already have. And I’m keeping up my lighting, too. While I was at it, I made an air barrier so no one will fall in the moat.” “Why?” Evidently, no one had reported the moat incident to Oscar yet. He gestured to the witch casually. “I’ve managed to reach a stopping point in my work, so I thought I’d go out for a bit. I’ll show you around the city.” “I do hope this isn’t you trying to escape the castle. You really shouldn’t. It’d mean that advance security plan the guards set up will go to waste.” “I escape every year, so I’ll be fine.” “Wow…” Tinasha thought it likely this careless disposition of Oscar’s is what had led him to the witch’s tower with only one companion. Floating soundlessly down to Oscar’s side, she blew again on the paper bird. The toy wasn’t unusual in Farsas at all, and Oscar watched in amusement as she played with it. “Whatcha got there?” “All the kids were playing with them, so it made me curious. It’s fun,” Tinasha said, kissing the bird. Somehow, the action had apparently given the toy life. It gave a big flap of its wings and flew off into the night. Tinasha watched the paper bird soar farther and farther away before her eyes softened as she took in the nighttime scenery. “The city is so beautiful. It almost doesn’t seem real that there are tons of people down below all those lights.” She gave him a gentle little smile, and Oscar stroked her hair languidly. “Was it worth it coming down from the tower?” Oscar asked. “Yes,” replied Tinasha. “Then I’m glad.” The way Oscar spoke made it sound like he was the

one looking after her. Tinasha giggled and tried to float up again, but Oscar suddenly reached out a hand to drag her back down. “Hey! What are you—?” Tinasha started to protest when, past Oscar’s shoulders, she spied Lazar running in. “Your Highness! We have a problem!” Oscar and Tinasha exchanged a puzzled look at Lazar’s flustered state. Lazar noticed Tinasha and cried out in surprise, “Miss Tinasha, so this is where you went! Everyone’s been looking for you!” “What?” Tinasha looked guilty, and Oscar patted her shoulder. “This is what you get for playing around. I bet you’re in for a lecture.” “Now’s not the time for that! Someone’s been killed!” “What?” Both Oscar and Tinasha were stunned. Lazar led the other two into a back alley, one that people hardly ever traversed. In the dim light of the dead-end street, Oscar could make out a small gaggle of soldiers and mages. “Can I see the body?” asked the prince. “Your Highness…it’s this way.” Kumu, the royal chief mage, materialized from the crowd. He motioned for Oscar to come closer and lifted a black cloth that had been spread on the ground. What lay underneath was no longer recognizable as human. It had been reduced to a charred lump of meat. “Urgh…” Starting with Lazar, all who caught sight of the cadaver covered their mouths and backed away—save Oscar. Tinasha’s eyes softened as Oscar calmly inspected the formerly human corpse. “Do we know who this is?” Oscar questioned. “The mage Temys. We identified him from his ornaments; they survived the burns.” “Oh!” At Tinasha’s cry, all eyes turned to her. Oscar looked down at the witch with a conflicted expression. “Did you know him?” he asked. “He was stationed next to me today. He came to say hi.” “Yes, which is why we were searching for you, Miss Tinasha. During the

three minutes between Temys’s lights disappearing and his body being found, your lights were lit, but you were nowhere near the moat… Exactly where did you go during that time?” With the festival revelry beginning to die down, Kumu’s question echoed clearly and decisively. Temys’s lights had gone out sometime after the child had been rescued from the moat. Right around then, Temys’s girlfriend had shown up at the moat to pay him a visit, but he’d been absent. Since his shift was not yet over, she’d guessed he was somewhere nearby. However, he was nowhere to be found. Three minutes later, his body was discovered in an alley a short walk from the moat. “I look pretty suspicious, don’t I?” Tinasha asked. “You’re probably the number one suspect,” replied Oscar. Oscar and Tinasha whispered to each other in hushed tones as they trailed behind the other officers and mages on their way to the royal audience chamber. Curiously, although both agreed Tinasha was likely under suspicion, Oscar didn’t sound worried at all for some reason. “Well, if push comes to shove, we’ll just tell them who you really are.” “I think that would land me in hotter water than if I was the actual culprit…” “It’ll be fine. I’ll protect you.” Even though she was really a witch, Oscar had begged her to come back with him. He had no plans of pinning unnecessary guilt on her—she didn’t seem the type to harm others anyway. Tinasha was a girl who found delight in a simple paper toy. To no small degree, that was how Oscar saw her. As if to reassure the witch, Oscar patted her on the head. The gesture was no different from what one would have done to a child. Tinasha glared up at him in protest but said nothing. After a trek down a long corridor of the castle, the assembly of soldiers and mages reached the audience chamber. They entered with heads bowed, fanning out in front of the throne. Tinasha stood in the center, while Oscar placed himself at the side of the king’s seat. The king entered the room. He was a comparatively young king, being somewhere around fifty years of age. He resembled Oscar, but his demeanor was milder. In his gentle eyes, Tinasha could find traces of

Regius, the king with whom she’d made a contract in the past. “So you are the mage my son has brought.” The king gazed steadily at Tinasha, and she accepted the look with poise. “Have we not met somewhere before?” The abrupt question caught Oscar and Tinasha completely off guard, though neither let it show on their faces. Ever since the Witch of the Azure Moon had left Farsas seventy years ago, she had never again made an appearance until now. Perhaps Regius had once described to this king the tale of how a witch he’d made a contract with had fought in battle for him. Now was not the time to consider such things, however. Tinasha gave the ruler of Farsas a brilliant smile. “No, this is the first time we’ve met. My name is Tinasha.” She swept one leg beneath her as she curtsied deeply. The graceful motion charmed the entire court. The king’s head was still inclined to one side as if something was still nagging at him. Whatever it was, he did not raise it. Instead, he merely surveyed each person spread out before him, from left to right, before his gaze landed back on Tinasha. “A mage has been killed. Were you involved?” asked the king. “No. I had nothing to do with it,” she replied immediately, her voice firm. Sighs could be heard in the crowd, and people began to murmur. The king looked up at Oscar, who was standing next to him. “I leave this to you. Choose a good team to help you and take care of this.” “I understand.” The king stood and exited the chamber through a door in the back. All present bowed deeply at his retreating figure. Oscar and the magistrates left to handle the remaining festival business, while Als and others involved in the situation gathered in another room. Seated around a table, they went over the state of the body and the time line of events in rapid succession. Surrounded in the center, Tinasha simply received the oncoming questions, neither flinching nor growing defensive. “Don’t you think it’s incredibly suspicious that you weren’t at your station?”

“Where were you, and what were you doing?” “Are you even capable of magic that can serve this court? Those lights weren’t lamps or something, were they?” “Oh, they were magic lights. I got a good look at them,” interjected Als, raising his hand. “Partway through, they got bigger and brighter. I saw them up close. There’s no mistaking it.” This was the first word anyone had spoken in Tinasha’s defense, and the rest of the group was speechless for a second. Meredina broke the awkward silence by adding, “When that little boy was drowning, Temys was still there.” “Ah yeah, I remember seeing him. His hood was up, and I couldn’t see his face, but he waved at us. I definitely saw the magical black sigils on his arms.” “B-but even so, if she was using magic to keep the lights going, then she must have been nearby. That’s the issue. Maybe she traded places with another mage?” Listening to the assemblage speak as if she wasn’t there, Tinasha suddenly recalled something that had happened while she was among the crowd. “Best not to leave. You’ll get drawn into something annoying.” If that warning had been meant for her, then the situation had developed just as the mysterious person had said. Maybe that mage had even known that Temys would be killed. Tinasha fell deep into thought while suspicious gazes converged on her. “You’re rushing to a conclusion. She’s a mage from the tower. It doesn’t seem unreasonable to think she’d know things we don’t,” offered the aging Chief Mage Kumu as he stroked his dark-skinned, shaved head and considered Tinasha. “Making lights bigger and brighter after they’ve been created isn’t a simple thing in and of itself. These balls of light were originally made with the intention of being maintained for several hours. None of us besides her have the ability to adjust them in response to an unforeseen event. It shouldn’t surprise you that she can maintain them from a separate location, too.” Tinasha was a little moved by the older man’s more flexible demeanor.

It was just what she expected from a mage who had been known as Farsas’s Rock for decades now. Tinasha’s familiar had sometimes brought stories of his strength and astute judgment to her in the tower. At the same time, Tinasha began wondering just how much of her own hand she should give away. It was then that the door opened, and Oscar entered. “What happened?” “We were just about to question her—” “What were you doing and where?!” Kumu’s explanation was interrupted by the mage who’d gotten held in check earlier suddenly pressing Tinasha for an answer. The witch’s dark eyes glanced at the man who had made the outburst. Something deep and unknown lurked in those eyes, and he stiffened. Oscar answered readily, “She was with me. Lazar saw her, too.” The alibi immediately got the room buzzing. Kumu’s eyes widened, and Meredina’s face twitched for a moment. Als noticed the woman’s brief movement and shrugged. Oscar, responsible for the ripple through the room, merely looked around at them, not at all concerned with the shock of his subjects. “Don’t waste time insisting she’s guilty. She’s not the one who did it; I can vouch for that… Tinasha!” “Ah yes.” Grimacing, the witch stood up and showed her open hands to everyone in the room. “It’s true that, as Master Kumu said, I use a slightly strange kind of magic. I’m particularly good with light spheres and spiritual-type magic… So that’s why I can do things like this.” Tinasha manifested a sphere of light in her hands. The luminous orb bounced up to the ceiling, then slid over to the window, edged out through the gap, and flew off into the night. Its light continued glowing until it got so distant that none present could even see it anymore. Everyone in the room let out gasps. “It was irresponsible of me to leave my post. I’m aware that it’s unavoidable that you will suspect me because I did. I truly am very sorry.” Tinasha bowed her head low in apology, and everyone in the room shifted uncomfortably as they watched her. Oscar let the moment pass before addressing Als, the only one who appeared unaffected.

“Als, I want you to look into this. Meredina, you help him,” he ordered. The two soldiers exchanged looks before bowing respectfully. Having their orders, Als and Meredina headed back to the alley for one more look a short while after midnight. As they walked along, they found the castle city far emptier than it had been. Meredina glanced back at the castle, its visage stark against the night. “Are we sure she didn’t do it? Even if she did make those lights, she still left her post, which just makes her even more suspicious.” “So you think His Highness is covering for her, Meredina?” Als asked. Putting aside personal feelings, it was only natural that she’d suspect Tinasha. Als gave a little shake of his head. “Well, it’s definitely a possibility, but I don’t think so. It’s true that she was with His Highness; Lazar confirmed it. But I admit I do feel a little…uneasy.” “Uneasy?” Meredina turned to look at the general. “It’s just a hunch, but something about her makes me think she’s… scary.” Als’s words were so out of place that Meredina burst out laughing, but she quickly realized he was serious. She stared at him. “You’re serious? Why?” she asked. “I am. Earlier, a mage tried to get closer to her but froze stiff.” “What? That happened?” Meredina apparently hadn’t been watching Tinasha at the time. It was likely no one else had noticed, either. Als had sensed a pressure emanating from Tinasha, one that felt like it pierced the skin. The girl’s dark eyes had seemingly held the depths of night. The force from them had been unmistakably real. If Tinasha had really wanted to kill someone, Als didn’t doubt she was capable, regardless of who or where. Nor did he doubt she had the power to do it inconspicuously or right out in the open. “I wonder if His Highness knows about that…” Als had sunk deep into thought when he noticed a mage farther down the road and raised his head. The small-statured mage approached the two soldiers and bowed. “I apologize for the wait.”

His name was Kav. He was the one who had first examined the victim’s body. He and Kumu had just performed the autopsy, and as he fell into step with Als and Meredina, he began explaining the results of the postmortem. “The cause of death appears to have been poisoning. Some not yet incinerated vomit was still in the alley, and we detected poison in it. It’s an old type of magic potion known as limath, a tasteless and odorless liquid. Those who ingest it vomit, and their whole body hemorrhages until they bleed from the nose. Death comes within minutes.” “Is this poison easy to obtain?” “It’s something one could make with the right instruction. You might be able to find it for sale somewhere, but not in Farsas.” “So just as an example, could any of our mages make it?” “Around half are capable. That said, potions are my specialty, but I wouldn’t use limath if I wanted to kill someone. It’s an old potion. The ingredients are hard to obtain, and the procedure is troublesome to perform. The magic involved in making it also takes a heavy spiritual toll… Nowadays, there are poisons that are far simpler to make.” “I see!” Using a finger to flatten out his scrunched-up brow, Als asked Kav another question. “So what about how the victim was torn apart and burned?” “The victim was dismembered after death. The head, arms, and legs were all severed, and the torso was cut in two. It looks like an ax or some other downward-swinging tool was used to dissever the body. Some parts took just one cut, and others required multiple. After that, the corpse was incinerated. He was doused in oil and then set on fire.” “Horrible.” Only guard soldiers were at the scene of the crime, but it had been close enough to the festival that the breeze still carried the sounds of laughter and harp music from nearby streets. However, the murder had taken place in a blind spot in a dead-end alley. There were no windows overlooking the narrow street, giving it an isolated feeling from the surrounding festivities. Peering down at the scorched ground, one could still catch the scent of death wafting silently in the air. “Who found the body first?” “One of our mages. They were searching for Temys. His girlfriend found him, too, and went half-mad. Right now, she’s resting inside the castle.”

“With what happened to him, that’s understandable,” commented Meredina, hugging her arms like she’d caught a chill. She looked up and realized that Als wasn’t next to her anymore. He’d gone back a little bit and was peeking out onto the street. “Als? What are you looking at?” “Well… I want to look inside the moat, too. It’s already dark, though, so it’ll have to wait until tomorrow. We’ll check out the moat, talk to some people, and then go report to His Highness.” “Wait, do you already know who did it?” Meredina asked. “Nope, not at all,” came the general’s swift reply. Kav and Meredina looked disappointed, but Als looked up at the starry sky. “Why do you think someone would’ve dismembered and burned a corpse? Any ideas?” “Some sort of ceremony?” “Because they had a grudge?” Meredina and Kav gave different answers at practically the exact same time, and Als shook his head at both. “What I suspect is a body swap or an easy disposal method… Well, let’s head back for today. It’s about time I have a drink and get to bed.” Rubbing his neck, Als sauntered off at a quick pace. Meredina rushed to catch up with him, with Kav following. “Hey, what kind of a person was the victim?” asked Meredina. “You mean Temys? If I had to say… He was a lucky guy. He was a fast learner and had a real way with women. The man was friendly and responsible, so it’s not as though he was despised.” “Which means it’ll be pretty hard to pin down a motive.” Als, walking ahead of them, let his impressions slip. Adding to her friend’s train of thought, Meredina asked, “What about aside from his personality? Did anyone have anything to gain?” “If we’re talking about inside the castle, I can’t think of anyone who stood to gain from his death. To begin with, all the royal mages research different areas… We’re not fighting over promotions or anything, either.” While both served the court, the army, with its emphasis on collective behavior, and the mages, with their emphasis on individual behavior, had fairly different cultures. “What did Temys research?” Als inquired.

“Magical lakes and spiritual magic. As for the former, he mainly worked with the lake in Old Druza,” explained Kav. “What are magical lakes? Lakes made of magic?” “They’re called lakes, but they don’t have any water in them. They’re places where magic has pooled underground with considerable density. There are a number of them scattered across the mainland. The major focus of Temys’s research was the magical lake in Old Druza, the site of the war from seventy years ago. He went there about once every month.” “The war… There are stories about a witch who fought some kind of demonic beast during that conflict, right?” asked Meredina. One unforgettable part of Farsasian history was the war with Druza that erupted seventy years back. Druza had quite suddenly attacked with a fleet of mages. Their magical strength had made it a hard fight for the army of Farsas at the time. In the face of such a fierce attack, Farsas lost much ground to the invading enemy. Worst of all was a giant magic weapon that Druza had procured known as a demonic beast. This beast appeared suddenly on the front lines and boasted overwhelming destructive power. Druza’s weapon mowed down the Farsasian army. In the face of such a strong adversary, Farsas had been at a complete loss. Its generals and mages alike had fallen into despair. However, Regius, the king during the time of the war, had called the most powerful witch to the front lines. She fulfilled the wish of the one who had made a contract with her, eliminating the terrible magic weapon. With their greatest advantage lost, Druza was defeated, and Farsas triumphed. Victory came at a price, however. After suffering such heavy casualties, Farsas took thirty years to truly recover. Druza, defeated and already contending with political instability, declined rapidly and broke apart into four small countries. Als frowned at the mention of the historic battle and the infamous magic weapon. “I heard rumors the beast isn’t actually dead, though. Isn’t it dangerous to go somewhere like that?” “That’s why he was going. If the seal on the demonic beast really is about to come undone, its effects would be seen at the magical lake,” Kav explained. “Hmmm… If that really has something to do with the murder, this is really getting big. I can’t even begin to imagine the culprit now,” remarked

Als. “You sounded pretty confident that you knew who it was a little while ago,” Meredina retorted. “I only said it was suspicious. And I was only talking about how it was done. I have no idea who actually did it.” Als shrugged, like he was out of ideas. Meredina sighed in exasperation. Regaining her composure, she turned to Kav. “What about his other research topic, spiritual magic? Was he a spirit sorcerer?” “No. Spirit sorcerers are extremely rare. What’s more, they’re very insular. We have many mages who can use spiritual magic, but no pure spirit sorcerers,” answered Kav. “Really? What’s the difference?” Als inquired. “The magical strength is completely different. Spirit sorcerers excel at controlling nature. Just a platoon of them would be more than a match for a traditional army,” Kav explained. “Oh wow, that’s amazing,” said Als. “On the other hand, there’s little record of them. By nature, they must be pure, as it’s a requirement of their magic. If they are no longer pure, they will lose their power. That’s why they live in small, reclusive groups and don’t often intermingle with outsiders. Evidently, Temys was doing experiments in an attempt to analyze their spirit magic. The sigils on his arms were spiritual magic, too.” “Oh yeah, those. He sure was passionate about his research.” As Als recalled the black sigils covering the man’s arms, he and his companions at last reached the castle gate. “We’ll make our report to His Highness tomorrow. Thanks for lending us your expertise, Kav,” said Als. With that, the three of them went their separate ways. A fragrant smell of tea pervaded the royal study. It had been brewed by the crown prince’s protector, a witch. Tinasha set a cup down on the desk, grumbling to herself. “I come down from my tower, and all of a sudden, I’m the suspect in a murder… Truly, no good can come from being on land…”

“You didn’t do it, so act more confident. If anyone says anything, I’ll deal with them,” Oscar offered. “That will just damage your reputation.” Although he was the crown prince, if Oscar went too far, there would almost certainly be backlash. Tinasha wondered if she shouldn’t just tamper with the memories of everyone involved in order to avoid the issue altogether. Oscar, on the other hand, had a mountain of paperwork to take care of after the festival and appeared busy working on things entirely unrelated to the murder case. Tinasha tidied up the teacups and crossed her legs as she floated about in midair. “Anyway, I’ll handle my own problems. If this blows up, I’ll be the one to clean it up,” she said. “I have a feeling it’ll get messy if I leave it to you, though. You’ll adjust everyone’s memories or something,” Oscar speculated idly. “How’d you know what I was thinking?!” Tinasha snapped. “So you really can do that…” Oscar looked shocked, but it wasn’t a bad last-resort option. The witch floating in Oscar’s room made no attempt to deny it, and he winced. “In any case, I’ll handle it, so just sit tight. I signed the contract, so I have to take that responsibility,” he said. “Responsibility? I’m only here in the castle for a year. I don’t care if I have a bad reputation.” “You say that, but you’re going to be queen in the future,” Oscar reminded her, as if chiding the witch. “I will not! Don’t make up a future for me!” Tinasha denied the assertion wholeheartedly, and Oscar burst out laughing. She rolled her eyes at him. “How serious are you about that anyway? It’s exhausting to get dragged into your jokes, so please stop it.” “Don’t worry; I’m serious about all of it. You may be a witch, but you’re a good person. I don’t think I’ll ever suffer a dull moment with you as long as I live. It’s perfect.” “That’s your reasoning?” Tinasha didn’t enjoy people pursuing her with eyes full of adoration or worship. The reasoning “because it sounds fun” hardly sweetened the deal, either. In fact, it was even worse, because Tinasha had no idea how to reject something that unusual. She felt at her wit’s end, and Oscar turned back to

his paperwork. “Anyway, do you have any ideas who did it? The murder case, I mean,” Oscar asked as he scribbled some things. “Mm… A lot of things don’t add up. We don’t have any conclusive evidence, though, and it would look suspicious if I got too involved,” Tinasha admitted while still floating overhead. What was bothering her now was that warning she’d gotten only a short while before the mage had turned up dead. That mysterious man might’ve been involved, but he’d been given ample time to flee the city by now. Tinasha regretted not chasing after him. Oscar grinned like he could see everything the witch was thinking. “Well, you can trust me. I’ve left it to a capable team.” “You’re terrible for making your officers solve a mystery.” Tinasha wasn’t certain Oscar had heard what she’d said, because the door to the study had loudly opened at the same time. Oscar and Tinasha exchanged a glance, and the latter flicked her right hand—vanishing instantly. She had probably cast invisibility magic so as to avoid complicated inquiries. Oscar was impressed at how quickly she’d managed it. Als entered the room, stood in front of the desk, and gave his summary of the investigation. Once Oscar had heard the gist, he grinned teasingly. “Do you know who did it?” he asked. “We know how they did it, more or less, but not who,” Als stated flatly. Curiously, his response seemed only to please Oscar even further. The prince’s grin widened. “Then tell me how they did it. Oh, but only once everyone’s here. I want to see their reactions.” “Understood.” Als left, and Oscar spoke to the seemingly empty room. “So there you have it. You should come, too, Tinasha.” There was no reply, but Oscar felt like he could sense a sigh right next to him, and he laughed. Everyone involved in the case gathered together in a seminar room normally used for practicing magic. Among those in attendance were people

close to the victim or with some sort of indirect connection to him. Temys had no blood relations. The only person there who didn’t work at the castle was his girlfriend. Oscar sat at the very back, with everyone else scattered around him in a circle. Tinasha stood behind Oscar outside the circle, almost leaning against the wall. On the opposite side sat Temys’s girlfriend, Fiura. Oscar, who was leading the meeting, cast his gaze around the assemblage. “All right, it looks like everyone’s here. I’d like to hear General Als’s report on the investigation and any current leads.” The introduction was short. Oscar quickly yielded the floor to Als, who was waiting by the prince’s side. Als took a step into the circle. “First, I’ll go over what happened the day of the murder. After Temys created his light spheres for the moat, he spoke with Miss Tinasha. Sometime after that, a child almost drowned in Miss Tinasha’s area of the moat, causing a mild uproar. Temys was also spotted nearby, though I think I was the only one who noticed him. I definitely saw a mage who waved at me from a short distance away.” Als lifted his right hand, re-creating Temys’s gesture at the time. “After that, this young woman, Miss Fiura, came by and noticed that Temys was not at his post. She asked the nearby mages about him, and by the time everyone realized he was missing, his light spheres had vanished. In the ensuing search, Temys’s body was found. It was determined he was murdered in the approximately thirty-minute window between when the light spheres went out and when his body was discovered. Miss Tinasha, who was missing during that time, was suspected accordingly. However, is it really possible to murder someone and incinerate their body in under thirty minutes?” Als exchanged a look with Kav, who left for the neighboring room. “Wondering this, today I went diving in the area of the moat that Temys had been assigned to. I never thought I’d be taking a swim in the castle moat two days in a row, let me tell you… But it was not a trip taken in vain.” Kav returned, holding what looked to be an ordinary lamp. Its one peculiarity was that it was enclosed inside a large glass sphere. “I found six of these set positioned at the bottom of the moat at regular intervals. The glass looks like it was made with magic. Of course, a regular

glass sphere would be sealed off, keeping out both water and flames. However, because it’s made of magic, the lamp can be lit from outside the surrounding shell. Isn’t that right, Master Kumu?” “…Yes.” “Judging by the air inside and the wax, the flames appear to have simply naturally extinguished after enough time passed. We never got any reports about Temys’s lights going out and getting relit, so the lights were likely these from the very start. Temys had told Miss Tinasha, ‘I’ll be around here for a while.’ Meaning that, even though he was supposed to be at his post for the entire festival, he did actually plan on leaving partway through. It was not Miss Tinasha but Temys who did not use magic for their lighting duties.” All members of the assembly gasped. Oscar crossed his legs, listening while keeping a sharp eye on everyone’s reactions. Tinasha had her eyes closed, content to only listen. “This discovery tells us that Temys was not in position, even though his lights were lit. So when did the murder take place? If you’ll allow me, I’d like to put forth my own theory.” Als closed his eyes for a second, organized his thoughts, and then continued. “The murderer probably had a meeting set up with Temys in advance. They prepared the lamps ahead of time and buried them together. After Temys pretended to create his magical lights, he left his post to go meet with the murderer. After that, he was poisoned in the alleyway. When he was killed, there was still some time before the candles were due to go out. Unfortunately for the killer, something unexpected happened…the incident with the little boy almost drowning.” Als glanced at Meredina. She gaped back at him, her eyes wide. “Let’s suppose that, at that time, Temys was already dead. If you turned the corner out of the alley where the body was found, you would glimpse the moat, just a short distance ahead. The murderer likely chose that alley for that very reason, its proximity to the moat… But when the culprit heard the commotion caused by the child falling in, they probably panicked. If a person dived in after the boy, there was a chance they’d discover that Temys’s light globes weren’t magical. Even if no one noticed, there was also the risk of someone observing Temys’s conspicuous absence. As such,

the murderer hurriedly put on Temys’s robe and went to the moat. There, they saw that the child didn’t fall into Temys’s section and, pretending to be Temys, waved at me. I have to admit, it was a clever way to turn a crisis into an opportunity.” “Well, hold on.” Kumu held up a hand, cutting Als off. All eyes turned to him. “I don’t mean to interrupt, General Als, but the murderer held up an arm, didn’t they? A mage would have been able to tell that the markings didn’t belong to Temys. Why would the culprit have run such a risk?” “That’s what I’m saying…they held up an arm. The body was dismembered, remember? The murderer brought the severed arm with them, concealed beneath their robes.” Almost the entire room was speechless at Als’s revelation. Such calculated violence sent shock waves through those gathered in the seminar room. Meredina’s green eyes widened, and she let out a little sigh. “After that, the murderer returned to the scene of the crime and removed Temys’s other limbs to hide the fact that they’d taken an arm. And to make it harder to determine the time of death based on how dry the blood was when the body was discovered—or perhaps to make it more difficult to discover the use of poison—they doused the body in oil and burned it.” Als dropped his gaze to the floor, looking somewhat indifferent as he continued. “Looking at it that way completely changes how we narrow down our suspects. Whoever did this was someone close to Temys, someone who had to have been absent until his false lights had burned out, and then was quick to assert an alibi afterward to cover their tracks. We can make a guess based on that, but that’s as far as my investigation and impressions go.” Als turned and offered a bow to Oscar before returning to his seat. An atmosphere thick with suspicion settled over the room. From its midst, Oscar said, “Thank you for your hard work. Does anyone have any ideas?” The awkward tension grew weighty. None dared to claim innocence or cast doubt on another. Oscar shifted his gaze to one person in particular, as if he’d known the answer all along. From about halfway through Als’s report, this person had appeared strangely calm, keeping their eyes glued to one spot on the floor. As Oscar was deliberating over how to bring this up, he heard the delicate

voice of his protector call from behind where he was seated. “You’re a spirit sorcerer, aren’t you? Or at least, you used to be, I’d guess. You’re the one who gave Temys those markings, right?” Tinasha asked, and Temys’s girlfriend, Fiura, looked up. A spirit sorcerer was an extremely rare type of mage. When Tinasha identified Fiura as one, the whole room burst into an uproar. Kumu was the one to vocalize the thoughts of every other mage in the room. “How is it you know that?” he asked Tinasha. “I could tell… Because I’m one, too. I can tell by looking at someone if they’re a spirit sorcerer, even if they aren’t one anymore. Also, Temys’s sigil markings were so complex and difficult to apply that only a spiritualmagic specialist could’ve done them. I’d assumed there was a spirit sorcerer in the castle who I just hadn’t met yet, but it seems I was mistaken.” Tinasha cast a sad look in Fiura’s direction. “Did you give your purity and power to him? Did you come to regret it?” Fiura met Tinasha’s darkness-filled stare head-on. Her own eyes were brimming with a kind of hollow determination. After a long bout of silence, she smiled at Tinasha and began speaking. “I never… I never thought I’d meet another spirit sorcerer after leaving the forest and coming to this strange land. I miscalculated. You must be a powerful spirit sorcerer if you can discern what I am just by looking at me. I’m sorry you ended up as the primary suspect.” Fiura’s eyes were as calm as the most placid lake. There was a clear resignation within them, one that had pervaded her whole body, like that of an elderly person who knows their time had come and is ready to go. “I don’t plan to talk about most of it. I also won’t try to justify myself. I just…couldn’t bear the condescending look in his eyes when I couldn’t use magic anymore. I couldn’t handle his superiority complex, and every time I looked at him, I saw the protections I had put there and how shortsighted I’d been… I hated it. I killed him out of respect for myself. Nothing more, nothing less.” Fiura spoke as if to herself, desiring neither understanding nor sympathy.

“So in the end, the body was dismembered after the drowning incident was resolved,” Meredina said. She, Oscar, Kumu, Als, and Tinasha had gathered in the crown prince’s study. Fiura’s questioning had concluded, and she had been temporarily imprisoned. As Tinasha added hot water to a teapot, she replied to Meredina’s remark. “Magic that produces markings like that—and it’s not just limited to spiritual magic—will be effective for as long as the caster is alive, at the very least. In her case, the sigils continued to function even after she lost her spirit-sorcerer magic. Since she’s the one who cast them, she was probably able to transfer a portion of them to her own body, even though her magic was gone.” “Why didn’t you notice it was a woman’s arm?” Meredina chided, and Als groaned. Kumu interjected soothingly, “The marks on the arm were the more striking feature; it’s not surprising that’s all he noticed. Besides, Als also saw the wave from a distance.” “No way she cut the arm off after noticing the disturbance at the moat. There wasn’t enough time. I guess that means all she prepared in advance was what she needed to burn his body to disguise the fact that his markings were gone,” Oscar reasoned. He uncrossed his legs and accepted a plate of snacks from Tinasha. Als looked even more frustrated and confused. Meredina ignored him and kept asking questions. “Then why did she cut up the body? If she’d just left it how it was, she might have gotten away with impersonating him.” Tinasha offered an answer. “I think it was all a gamble on her whether the impersonation would work. She couldn’t retrieve the lamps submerged in the moat, so she must’ve considered the possibility that someone would sense that she wasn’t really Temys. If the body was cut up by the time it was suspected that the person who’d waved wasn’t really Temys, then she had a chance. But if he wasn’t dismembered, then only a spirit sorcerer could’ve been responsible. No one else could’ve transferred the markings or drawn new ones. As a proud spirit sorcerer, Fiura wanted to avoid drawing suspicion from any potential brethren. In this case, that was her downfall, however, as it’s what led to us realizing she’d impersonated Temys.” “You fell for it hook, line, and sinker,” said Meredina archly, and Als

was unable to meet the woman’s gaze. Oscar grinned and attempted to mediate. “Don’t bully him. It’s only because of his work that we were able to solve the mystery. What’s more— we did so quickly, which really helped.” Once again, Als bowed low. Despite the truth having been revealed, Kumu still looked displeased. “But Temys came to me to discuss his plans to marry Fiura. Did he really think so low of her?” Kumu asked. “No one can say if he actually did or if it was more the workings of Fiura’s mind,” Oscar said, bringing everything to a close. The prince scrawled a signature along the papers spread out before him. Kumu, Als, and Meredina departed from the study after their discussion, each returning to their work. Quietly, Tinasha cleared away their cups as she muttered, “Why am I doing the job of a lady-in-waiting?” “Because you make good tea, I suppose,” Oscar teased. Tinasha set the tea-laden tray down on a stand by the wall, looking not at all satisfied. “What will you do with Fiura now that you’ve caught her?” “That’s for my dad to decide… But she won’t be executed right away. I think the mages have a lot they want to ask her.” Tinasha looked down at her own hands. The witch’s expression was one of pity. “I suppose there are reasons why spirit sorcerers never come to the city.” “Are you okay? Let me see your hands,” Oscar interjected. “Don’t avoid the subject. I’m not exactly happy about it, but everyone’s convinced that I’m important to you. I’m going to make sure not to do anything that will reveal my identity.” “I knew you cared.” “No, I don’t!” Oscar let out a big belly laugh and began work on a fresh set of documents. When he went to dip his pen in the adjacent inkwell, he suddenly remembered something and looked up. “Come to think of it, if you’re a spirit sorcerer, does that mean all your power will disappear if you lose your purity?” Tinasha, now wiping down the table, smiled as if to say, Oh, so that’s

what you’re asking. “There’s some truth to it, but it’s also kind of an old wives’ tale. In reality, having sexual relations does make it easier for your soul to become impure. It will require a much greater amount of magic than before to perform spiritual magic, but that’s all. When that happens, the majority of sorcerers end up being left unable to use spiritual magic altogether. If it were an easier kind of magic, it would be a different story, though… That’s why it’s likely Fiura mixed the limath used in the murder herself; its magical composition is pretty simple.” Tinasha cut herself off there. She finished wiping the table, folded the cloth she’d been using, and went to place it on the tea tray. Now emptyhanded, she returned to the study desk and sighed. “The amount of magic I have is totally different from someone like her, so I don’t think it would affect me much. It’s not like spiritual magic is the only type I can use anyway. Although, the really big spells might start giving me difficulty.” “Oh, that’s good,” Oskar remarked rather casually. Tinasha finally realized what Oscar had been hinting at, and her jaw dropped. Flustered, she came around behind the desk and went right up to him. “No, that was a lie just now. It’d be a big problem. A huge one. I wouldn’t be able to use magic at all.” Paying no mind to her desperation, Oscar broke into a wry grin. “Even if that were true, it wouldn’t matter. I’d take responsibility and protect you.” “No!” Their quarrel came to an end when an abrupt pounding erupted at the door to the study. A soldier hurriedly entered. Between gasping breaths, he managed to say, “The woman we locked up for murdering a mage has killed herself!” Oscar heard Tinasha inhale sharply. Kumu and Als had beaten the prince and the witch to the small room where Fiura had been confined. She was lying facedown in its center. Her right hand was clutching a small bottle, and flecks of blood were spattered around her body. “It looks like she took limath, the same poison used in the murder. She

wasn’t eating, so there was no vomit, but she bled from her eyes and nose.” “Didn’t you check her belongings beforehand?” “We did, but she didn’t have anything on her at the time…” While the soldier on duty explained the situation, Tinasha got a closer look at the bottle Fiura was holding. She reached out and scooped up the drop clinging to its rim. Everyone else was clustered around Oscar, so none noticed what she was doing. Tinasha let out a low humming chant and began concentrating on the magical composition of the poison on her fingertip. Oscar left the room after giving everyone their orders. Tinasha had been waiting for him and beckoned him over. He bent down to listen, and she stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear. “You should take one more look around Fiura. She wasn’t the one who made the poison. She probably has a coconspirator… That—or there’s a mastermind with a different goal entirely.” Oscar nodded sagely and went back to the door to instruct the soldiers on what to do next. Left alone, Tinasha let out a deep sigh before leaving. The follow-up investigation revealed that a suspicious-looking old man had been visiting Fiura for the past month or so. It also came to light that an unfamiliar old mage had been walking around the castle the day Fiura committed suicide. When the two accounts were put together, everyone concluded that both were the same person, but no one could track down the enigmatic elderly man in question. The case was left unresolved, leaving Oscar uneasy about the whole thing. Tinasha took Fiura’s remains and went to bury them in some faraway forest. Whatever Tinasha saw in the lonely mage who threw away her power for a man and killed him out of pride, she didn’t say.

3. The Transparency of Night One sunny afternoon, a young woman floated above the spires of Farsas Castle. Technically, she wasn’t that young at all. This was Tinasha, the Witch of the Azure Moon. She was the one who represented the Age of Witches, an era that had stood unchallenged for three centuries. Tinasha’s title was rumored to come from the fact that, long before she lived in the tower, she would only appear on nights when the moon could be seen unobstructed, though this was never confirmed. Her hair had gotten mussed by the wind, and as she patted it down, she received a report from her familiar. Tinasha had been receiving these updates since long before she’d ever lived in the tower, and not one of them had ever been good. She’d received so many over the years that their details had begun to blur together. Narrowing her eyes, she gazed out at the horizon. She felt like she could see her azure tower—small and distant on the horizon. “Until next time,” she said. She stroked the neck of her gray cat familiar, and it purred happily. Tinasha wondered if everything she’d been doing this whole time had been for naught. It seemed almost certain. A deeply self-deprecating smile appeared on the witch’s face. Still, she released her familiar back into the world. The creature’s job was to look for a particular person who was probably already dead. Court mages spent most of their working hours attending lectures and

working on their personal research, but in addition, they also had to take on and fulfill small tasks that came from all over. These tasks were posted in order of difficulty on a wall in the hallway outside the lecture hall every morning. Normally, only mages could see them, but right now the crown prince was examining the postings with interest. He motioned to his protector at his side. “Tinasha, this one looks fun. You should take it.” “Why are you the one deciding…?” Tinasha pulled a face. This was the most powerful witch on the mainland. With her level of magic, she could complete any of these requests easily. Oscar knew that as he picked up one and began reading it. “Looks like it has to do with setting up transportation arrays in the city. Says it’ll take about a month. That means you can go exploring.” “It would be for work, not pleasure,” Tinasha added, plucking the paper from Oscar’s hand. She read the details with rapt concentration, but for all intents and purposes, she appeared to be just a beautiful girl. Passing mages caught sight of her and stared in fascination. When Oscar noticed, he smirked to himself about it. It had been five years ago that he had first decided he would visit her tower. At that time, Oscar had devoted himself to his studies and sword practice, trying to cope with the curse placed on him. When he heard the story of the tower and the promise that its master would grant a wish to someone who climbed to the top, it had sounded almost too good to be true. Ever since that day, meeting the witch of that tower had been Oscar’s foremost goal…but the witch he’d met was nothing like what he’d imagined. She looked like a young woman instead of some horrid old crone. She also wasn’t crafty or unreasonable, as Oscar might otherwise have assumed. She was mouthy, but that was part of how she showed that she cared deep down. Oscar placed his hand on the head of this much smaller girl. “It sounds interesting, so I’ll go with you. I think you’ll get abducted if I let you do it alone anyway.” “I am not a kitten; I’ll be fine! Don’t take advantage of the confusion to slip out of the castle!” scolded Tinasha. “You say that, but…if something happens, it’ll be too late.”

Tinasha’s breathtaking beauty and slender frame were enough to invite unwanted attention. If Oscar took his eyes off her and she landed in danger, as the one who’d signed the contract, he would be responsible. Keenly aware of Oscar’s obvious worry, Tinasha rolled her eyes in exasperation. “I’d like to have a serious chat with you about just how you see me.” “How I see you? There’s nothing wrong with my eyes.” She was kind, smart, and not particularly selfish. That already qualified her to be queen. In addition, being with her was fun. Perhaps because she wasn’t a citizen of Farsas, she was unreserved in her interactions with him. It was refreshing. …Which was why all that was left was to wait for her to change her mind about marrying him. The prince made no secret of those intentions, and Tinasha sighed. “Well, since you’ve gone to the trouble of picking it out, I’ll take on this job. But you are to stay in the castle. I can handle it alone.” “Ah, hey!” Oscar shot out a hand reflexively, but Tinasha disappeared without any incantation. Perhaps she’d teleported? Some mages who had seen it happen from a distance were stunned in amazement at what Tinasha had done. Left alone, Oscar scratched his temples before turning back. There was no time to ponder how Tinasha had made her escape; he had mountains of work to attend to. Their little exchange just now had been a nice change of pace, however. Oscar looked out the window, up at the cloudless sky. Then, he set off with a spring in his step, leaving some astonished mages staring after him. Lately, it seemed Farsas was getting hotter with each passing day. Amid the boiling-hot air of the training grounds, Als was sparring with the young soldiers. Whether because it was only a week after the festival and everyone was still spent or a consequence of the heat, the soldiers’ moves were sluggish. Als was debating whether to let them take a break or give them a lecture when he spotted someone approaching from the castle. Realizing who it was, he was overcome with surprise.

“Miss Tinasha, are you here on an errand for His Highness?” “Why would I be?” She had her long hair pinned up and was dressed in lightweight clothing, easy to move in. Her leggings came to the knee, revealing the bare skin of her calves, which were so strikingly pale, Als worried the girl might suffer sunburn. “I’m done with my work, and I’m feeling a little pent-up frustration from my daily routine. I’d like to get in some exercise, so if I won’t be in the way, I’d like you to spar with me.” “Is His Highness messing with me again?” Als asked, clearly surprised. “I wonder where he gets that from.” She shook her head vehemently, clearly irritated. …It was already well-known in certain circles that Tinasha was Oscar’s favorite and that he involved her in just about everything. Some thought it cute; others thought it was pathetic. Kumu and the other mages fretted over how Tinasha might lose her power to Oscar, after they’d finally lucked out and gotten a spirit sorcerer in the castle and everything. Als grimaced, aware that his soldiers were distracted by the sight of her slim figure standing among them. “I was just about to call a break, so I’ll spar with you.” “Thank you.” Giving his people leave, half the soldiers in Als’s command returned to their main stations while the other half stuck around for the show. Tinasha borrowed a practice sword from one of them. Feeling relieved that Meredina was off duty, Als grabbed one, too. “Have you used a sword before?” “A little, in the past.” “I’m surprised.” Als lifted his sword and began slowly swinging down at her, warming up as he did. Tinasha met his strikes once, then twice. Her intuitive, fluid movements were those of a fairly talented combatant. Gradually, Als sped up his attacks, and Tinasha met them all with ease. …She might be better than Meredina. Als felt a chill run up his spine imagining the unhappy face of his childhood friend. Perhaps because of her combative personality, Meredina always tried trading blows with him head-on, but Tinasha never took a strike full-on. Instead, she’d divert the direction a little and let it graze off. She must have

known very well that her small stature gave her a disadvantaged fighting style. As she did this, Tinasha was waiting for the moment when her opponent’s stance weakened. If this were a real fight, she would’ve seized her opportunity and instantly rushed to run her opponent through. Of course, had it been a real fight, Als wouldn’t have given her the chance in the first place. Still, Tinasha was undoubtedly a much trickier sparring partner than the other soldiers. Als whipped his sword faster through the air as that thought struck him. The soldiers who’d stuck around just for fun were now standing aghast at the young mage’s skills. “…Maybe I’ll test her a little.” Als poured even more strength into his grip—so much that if he took a blow, his hand would go numb, and he’d drop his weapon. Powerfully, he brought his sword down at Tinasha. The slender girl didn’t dodge the attack, however. Stepping forward to meet him, she sank into a lunging posture and slanted the angle of her blade. When Als’s powerful strike came rocketing down, it glanced off the top edge of her weapon as she parried it to the left. Immediately thereafter, she took another step in and drove her left elbow into Als’s wrist. What Tinasha’s counterattack lacked in power it more than made up for in speed. It was perfectly aimed for his joint, and he almost dropped his sword. As he rushed to get a better grip on his hilt, Tinasha pointed the tip of her blade to his neck. “…!” With a sword tip in his face, Als immediately used his left hand to push it aside by its flat edge. With the pass Tinasha had poured her body weight into evaded, she sprang to the right, her upper body still crouched. She dodged Als’s next horizontal swipe. Tinasha jumped another step back, creating some distance between the two of them, before turning back to grin at him. “That was close.” With her devilish smile, Tinasha appeared not unlike a black cat prowling the night. Als just shook his head in shock. “Those aren’t the moves of someone who’s only done a little swordplay… You’re good enough to quit the mages and join up with us over here.”

Such nimble movements indicated that Tinasha had done far more than just taken a few lessons. She likely possessed real battle experience. The way she could move spoke to a great deal of it. “Thank you.” Tinasha gave him a big smile. Als could only shake his head, crestfallen, sensing something unfathomably deep in that grin. The mage’s voice echoed throughout the lecture hall. “Four hundred years ago, with the destruction of the Magic Empire of Tuldarr in a single night, a portion of magical techniques were lost to us. But nowadays, the majority of verified magic is shared among us. We can, therefore, say that the starting point now is ensuring that each spell caster has a strong grasp of their individual knowledge. The first step to using magic is becoming aware of yourself as a glass jar filled with liquid, interacting with the world as an individual while utilizing that magical composition to affect natural phenomena.” Around twenty people were gathered for the morning lecture, an introduction to magic. Sitting in the very back row, Tinasha was listening raptly when a door in the back opened and Kav entered the room. Noticing Tinasha, he waved and sat down next to her. “Interesting lecture?” “Very much so,” Tinasha answered, twirling a pen between her fingers. She had no memory of learning magic from someone prior to becoming a witch. Listening to theories like this was quite novel for her. However, noisy footsteps came from above, interrupting the lesson. The lecture hall was located in the atrium, designed in such a way that those on the walkways of the floors above could look down into the room. Someone upstairs was creating a rather disruptive uproar while sauntering about. Tinasha watched, wondering if it was some kind of emergency, and a garish, greasy man came into view. He walked to the back and began unloading a steady stream of complaints on the magistrates. The noise put the lecture on pause for the moment, and everyone craned their necks to look up and observe. The greasy man paid no mind to his spectators, walking out without glancing once at the lecture hall below.

“What was that about?” Tinasha whispered, and right as Kav was about to answer her, the lecture resumed. They fell silent to listen. It wasn’t until three days later that Tinasha finally heard the answer to her question. Crown Prince Oscar’s quarters occupied a block deep within the castle. No sooner had he entered than there was a rapping at the window. Dumbfounded, Oscar opened it to find Tinasha standing on the balcony. He invited her in. “You can use the door, you know.” “I don’t want to. If someone sees me, the rumors will just get worse…” “I think it’s a little late for that.” Tinasha entered, looking sour. “You’re back pretty late today,” she commented. “Someone’s arrived at the castle who tends to make a lot of work for me… Oh, I have what you asked for, by the way.” Oscar went to his table and presented Tinasha with a stack of papers that had been resting on it. Contained within the documents was information on the research of the recently murdered Temys, which Tinasha had been wanting to study. The tall sheaf of papers detailed everything from his published studies to his top-secret, unannounced theories. “Thank you,” Tinasha said, accepting the reports and starting to leaf through them. “Seems we still haven’t been able to find the old mage who was sighted with Fiura. We’re still looking for him, but…” Oscar trailed off. “We can safely suppose that he broke into the castle and gave her the poison, but that’s an awful lot of effort for merely interfering in a personal entanglement,” Tinasha reasoned. That was why she’d grown curious about using Temys’s research to unravel the mystery. As Tinasha perused the documents, she continued: “The truth is, there’s someone else who seems slightly suspicious to me. It could just be my imagination, though.” “Someone suspicious? Who is it?” Oscar pressed. “During the festival, I received a warning from a mage passing by. He said, ‘Best not to leave. You’ll get drawn into something annoying.’”

As she explained about the man who’d passed by near the moat, Oscar frowned. “Another weird story. But it doesn’t seem like the same guy spotted inside the castle.” “No, he wasn’t,” Tinasha agreed. The stranger she’d seen by the moat had been a young man about Oscar’s age. He had light-brown hair and had been with a girl with silver hair. The mage seen with Fiura was older and had a hood pulled down over his eyes. Regardless, Tinasha remained wary of the mystery man she’d met during the festival because his magic had been concealed. His true magical ability was nowhere near hers, of course, but still most likely surpassed that of an average court mage. That was why the thought of him bothered Tinasha so, even though she’d pushed the memory to a corner of her mind the past few days. “I have my familiar looking for him. When he turns up, we can get some answers out of him.” “If he has nothing to do with any of this, he’s in for a nasty shock. Being interrogated by a witch from out of the blue is likely pretty startling,” Oscar quipped. “I don’t care. I can just erase his memories,” Tinasha retorted. There was no such thing as being too careful. She didn’t consider herself weak, but she’d resumed sword practice to be able to handle any unforeseen circumstances. If Oscar died now, that would be the end of the Farsas royal line. Tinasha wasn’t so indifferent on the matter as to be able to just watch that happen. The witch wore a serious expression, and Oscar grinned at her before pouring a cup of water from a pitcher. He brought it to his lips but pulled it back quickly. He stared at the liquid suspiciously. “What is this? It’s oddly sweet.” “What?” Tinasha put down her papers and came over to look at the cup of water with him. “Is it sugar water?” Oscar asked. “It shouldn’t be…,” she replied. Tinasha had a bad feeling. She looked up at Oscar, her face twitching. “Did you drink it?” she asked warily. “Just a sip. But I don’t feel any…” Oscar broke off there, staring at Tinasha without blinking. His steady gaze made her uncomfortable, and she

took a step back. “Wh-what? What is it?” “Nothing…” Oscar thought for a second, a hand over his mouth, before pointing to the documents on the table. “You can take those with you. Leave me for today,” he said, turning away. The prince was acting unmistakably strange, and Tinasha couldn’t help but approach him, pressing for answers. “Why? You’re being a little weird. Look at me and tell me the reason.” The witch floated up a few centimeters, grabbing Oscar’s shoulder and shaking it. “What did you drink? Throw it up.” “It’s fine. Just leave.” “Your neck is going to get a crick.” Oscar was still turned to the side, and Tinasha took his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. There was a beat of silence, and Tinasha had the briefest notion that her face was reflected in the prince’s blue eyes. Unconsciously, she leaned in closer to see if it really was. As she moved in, Oscar wrapped his arms around her. His large hands threaded through her hair. He drew her close and pressed a kiss on her lips. She was speechless. Calmly, she pulled back and blinked slowly. “What was that? Some kind of joke?” Tinasha asked. When Oscar let her go, Tinasha floated softly to the ground. He gave her a light pat on the head, his face twisted in a frown. “I’m feeling kind of riled up. I think that was some sort of aphrodisiac.” “…” A heavy silence settled over the two. Tinasha was half-frozen in shock for a bit before she snapped out of it and yelped, “I—I didn’t do it!” “That’d be quite an unpredictable turn of events if you had—and pretty damn funny, too. Too bad.” Oscar sounded almost disappointed. “It’s not funny at all!” Tinasha snapped. Oscar sat on the bed, and as Tinasha looked the prince over, her mind worked fast to come up with a countermeasure. If it was just an aphrodisiac, then the best course of action was for her to leave as he’d asked. However, there was the risk that it was a potion with some sort side effect, too. In which case, it could be fatal later if the dosing wasn’t treated immediately.

For the time being, all Tinasha could do was analyze the magical composition of the liquid. She decided to do just that, but the witch suddenly found that her arms were caught, and she was pulled down onto the bed. “Hey, cool it.” “This is why I told you to leave,” Oscar said. His face was scrunched up as if in pain, and his voice was absent its usual teasing tone. Tinasha broke into a cold sweat seeing him like this for the first time. She twisted her body to roll out from under the man pressing her down, but the difference in their statures was too great. She couldn’t budge. In times like this, the best thing to do is blast off into the air and knock him out cold, thought Tinasha just as Oscar, with a very intent look in his eyes, came in close and kissed her right earlobe. “I just realized something…” “What is it?” she asked, looking back coldly at him. “I don’t need to hold back here. There’s nothing in my way.” “There is! I am! I’m going up to the ceiling!” she cried. “Do what you want.” His voice was low and rough, and his handsome face was coming closer and closer. Tinasha sighed a little, closed her eyes, and pressed her forehead against Oscar’s. She poured magic into the point where their skin touched. The magical composition of whatever was running through his veins took the form of a sigil floating in the air. Three rings. Very strong, but a simple construction nonetheless. The moment she concentrated hard, putting power into those rings, they shattered without leaving so much as a trace. Once she climbed out from under Oscar, Tinasha picked up the water pitcher that had started all this. “This is why I told you that I couldn’t protect you from poisons! You need to be more careful. I’m going to taste it now.” “If you get affected by the aphrodisiac, I won’t stop you,” Oscar teased, seemingly back to normal. “Potions have no effect on me!” Tinasha flushed in anger. Then, for as much as she’d yelled, the witch grew very calm, and her head tilted

doubtfully. “In any case, we have no idea why you were dosed with this… It really is just an aphrodisiac.” “I have an idea who it could be. No proof, though,” Oscar said, looking uncharacteristically disgusted. He crossed his legs on the bed, and Tinasha sat down next to him with the water pitcher in hand. “Then we’ll have to get some proof,” Tinasha offered, humming a short incantation to infuse the remaining amount of aphrodisiac with a magical form. The liquid reacted almost immediately and floated up into the air as wispy filaments that formed a three-dimensional shape. “Wait a moment. This will deduce who created this stuff.” Tinasha added a further incantation to the three-ringed form. “You can do that?” Oscar asked, rather surprised. “Whoever made this probably thought no one would be able to reverse it and discover their identity. This spell died out a long time ago, and I’m probably the only one who knows how to cast it now.” Each time Tinasha hummed a little more of the incantation, the shape gradually changed form and spun in the air. “By the way, if the person who cast this is someone I don’t know, I won’t be able to tell who it is. Look… Oh, wait…” Tinasha got her answer, and her face clouded over even more as she stared at the rotating shape. Even with an unexpected annoyance, Oscar could not shirk his many responsibilities. The best he could manage was getting rid of the people who were piling on more irksome matters. As he processed documents in his study, Tinasha handed him a cup of tea she’d made, and he thanked her for it. There came a quick knock at the door. The person Oscar had asked for had arrived. “I’ve come at your summons.” Kav, a potions expert, stepped timidly into the room. Oscar held out a glass of water to him. “You know what this is, don’t you? Don’t drink it.” Kav stepped forward and took the glass. He stared at it in puzzlement as he sniffed it. Tinasha watched with amusement as the blood drained from

his face. “Why do you have this, Your Highness?” “Someone put it in my water pitcher.” “Wh-what?!” Kav yelped in astonishment, looking back and forth from Oscar to Tinasha. Oscar placidly withstood the man’s gaze, while Tinasha frowned and nodded. Kav caught her meaning and turned to her, bowing extremely low. “I must apologize deeply! I never thought it would be used for this purpose! Miss Tinasha, how can I ever atone for this?” “Ah, no, you don’t have to apologize that much.” “But this is the strongest one! Even just a sip will destroy all reason!” Kav insisted, looking stricken, and Tinasha whirled around to look at Oscar with wide eyes. She gave him a slow clap. “Wow! Such self-control!” “Go on, keep praising me.” Oscar found the action rather adorable and endearing, but he turned away to face Kav. “So who asked you to make this?” he insisted. Kav hesitated a little before he admitted through gritted teeth, “Duke Pasval. Your uncle…” It was exactly the answer Oscar had been expecting. He felt a headache coming on. Kevin, the reigning king of Farsas, was the oldest of three siblings. He had a younger brother and a younger sister, but they had both already passed away. His younger brother, the former prime minister, died from illness only a month ago. His sister, youngest of the three, had always possessed a weak constitution. She’d died only a few years after getting married. She was devastated by the loss of her children in the kidnapping incidents that had rocked Farsas, and her health had rapidly declined. Her husband, Duke Pasval, was well-known as a materialist. He’d taken his late wife’s inheritance and built a house in Colas, outside the castle city. There, he was rumored to be living an openly self-indulgent, debauched lifestyle, but for some reason, he’d returned to live in a mansion in the city ever since the festival. Not only that, he came to court, despite not being

summoned, to whisper complaints in the ears of those on the royal council. He made sarcastic, cutting remarks to Oscar and often created more work for him. While everyone gossiped about Pasval behind his back, they nonetheless treated him courteously in person. He was still related to the royal family after all, if only through marriage. That night, Pasval returned to his mansion. With a bottle of liquor in hand, he listened to a report from one of his servants. “Do you know if the drug has worked yet?” he asked. “It was perfectly placed, but we don’t yet know that much…,” the underling replied. “Well, whatever. Just gotta sit tight and wait for the results.” Dismissing his subordinate, Pasval poured some of the amber liquid into a silver cup. Already a little drunk, he laughed in amusement. “That damn brat and his spirit sorcerer. Right about now, he should be reeling from digging his own grave, and if what I heard is right, the woman’ll die. So much the better.” “…What, exactly, have you heard?” A voice spoke from behind him, and Pasval turned around, startled. Outside the room’s large window, a clear azure moon hung in the darkness. A young woman stood at the foot of the window, illuminated by that cold moonlight. Her skin was so white and her looks so striking that she resembled a doll, but she wore a cruel smile. “I’d like to know,” she added. Her voice was as cutting as a cold blade. An instinctive fear lanced through Pasval, pitching his voice high and shrill. “Wh-who are you?! How did you get in?” The pale girl lifted off the ground lightly, floating over until she was standing directly in front of the duke. Her jet-black locks swayed as if underwater. Her dark eyes seemed to pierce him through. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am the witch Tinasha. I am called the Witch of the Azure Moon… Yes, your nephew often scolds me for coming in through the window. I do apologize.” “W-witch…?”

“I’m sorry I’m not an ordinary spirit sorcerer.” At those words, Pasval finally understood that this was the spirit sorcerer he’d laid a trap for and that she wasn’t just some mage. His knees gave out, and he collapsed weakly into a chair. “Why is a witch…?” “What have you heard?” The question was asked with sweetness tinging its tone, but Tinasha’s appearance gave no indication of her true, terrifying strength. Once displeased, she could reduce someone to ash in an instant. Pasval gasped in reply and said, “He’s got a witch’s curse on him… All women involved with him will die, apparently…” “If it was all women involved with me, there would’ve been a lot more deaths by now.” A new voice, that of an exhausted-sounding young man, entered the room. Pasval turned to find his nephew-by-marriage standing by the wall. “H-hey, when did you get in?!” Arms crossed and leaning against the wall, Oscar ignored Pasval and addressed the witch. “I told you that you shock people when you come in through the window.” “I don’t care. It’s convenient.” Tinasha bent down and picked up the papers scattered on the floor. The report contained a detailed investigation into castle personnel, as well as national and international policy, but had no record of confidential information. “So, Uncle, who did you hear that from?” Oscar drawled. “Did the drug not work…?” Pasval asked. “Did it work…? Did it not work…? Either way, I think I might’ve done something I regret, to be honest,” Oscar joked. “What, missing your chance when I lifted the spell?” Tinasha cut in coldly. She floated over to Pasval, creeping her white fingers along the nape of his neck. “Who told you about that curse? If you tell us, we’ll leave,” she said. “I—I don’t know! I didn’t get his name, either! Some old mage!” Pasval cried, retreating into a fetal position. Tinasha and Oscar exchanged a glance. “Do you think it’s the same guy?” Oscar asked. “The chances are high… Looks like he’s beat us to the punch,” Tinasha replied. The witch floated over Pasval’s head and glided past to land next to

Oscar. “I don’t really understand what he wants to accomplish. What’s the connection between this and the other incident?” Oscar mused. With one hand on his chin, he considered possibilities. He used his other hand to stroke Tinasha’s hair. Her eyes fluttered closed, like a cat happy to be petted. The man hiding in his chair watched the scene and shouted desperately, “If the witch is here, that means the curse is real! Serves you right! You and your father’s bloodline ends here! Just die already!” Tinasha’s eyebrows raised. She lifted her arms and began weaving a spell, but Oscar held out a hand to stop her. “Even if that comes to pass, it’s nothing for you to worry about, Uncle. Just go back to your house in Colas,” Oscar said over his shoulder as he headed for the balcony from which he’d entered. Pasval hurled more abuse at his nephew as he left. “Once you’re dead, this country is mine! You’ll pay for the many mockeries I’ve suffered!” Oscar did not respond to the provocation. It was like he hadn’t heard anything at all. As Pasval began cackling madly and loudly, the witch looked down on him with scornful eyes. She drew near and whispered in a clear, decisive voice, “His bloodline will not die out. Why do you think I’ve come here?” Pasval stopped mid-cackle and stared up at her. Silhouetted by a halo of moonlight, she wore a bewitching smile. “His bloodline will not die. And you… You may never again enter this city… That’s final.” Eyes huge, Pasval gaped at her. Then, he flopped back into the chair limply, like his strings had been cut. He just sat there shivering, lacking even the energy to look up. Tinasha eyed him icily, then followed Oscar out onto the balcony. “What did you do?” he asked. “That’s how you cast a curse.” She smiled, her eyes narrowing. It was the expression of someone strong and secure in her power to control the fates of others. “Let’s go back, Oscar. Our business here is done.” Tinasha held out a hand. Oscar took it, and the pair floated into the air. Gaining altitude, they soared across the night sky. Like a little kid, Oscar’s eyes were fixed on the spectacle below him.

“It’s fun using transportation magic, but flying is so new and exciting,” he said. “To use transportation magic, you have to know the coordinates of your destination, or it won’t work. I certainly don’t know the coordinates of every location in the city,” Tinasha explained. Then, she sighed unexpectedly, and Oscar looked over to her in surprise. After a pause, she muttered, “You’ve really got a nasty uncle there.” “Oh, him? Well, we aren’t blood relatives. I’m grateful for that, at least.” Oscar had thought Tinasha was feeling bothered over not knowing many places in the city yet, but it turned out she’d sighed because of his family circumstances. However, no matter how many annoying and stomachturning things cropped up, all of it was Oscar’s burden to bear alone. He couldn’t share the load with anyone, nor did he intend to try. He’d long been prepared to live his whole life that way. Grimacing a little, Oscar met Tinasha’s worried gaze. “I can sympathize with you a little more now… I’ll definitely do something about your curse,” she said. The look in Tinasha’s eyes was so unlike the one back in the mansion. Oscar felt his heart skip a beat. As this witch in the guise of a girl looked over at him with clear, bright eyes, he felt a fondness welling up within him. “What? Do you want to marry me now?” Oscar asked. “I’m talking about finding another way!” Tinasha snapped back in the same way she always did, and Oscar burst out laughing. His heart felt lighter, and he inhaled, deep and easy. His momentary gloom had passed. First thing the next morning, Pasval fled the city in great haste. He locked himself in his home in Colas, never to reemerge.

4. On the Shores of the Lake The earth was dry and cracked. Reminiscent of the lands surrounding the witch’s tower, the desolate area had been shrouded in perpetual fog for seventy years. This was the site of the battle between Farsas and Druza, where the giant magic weapon referred to as a demonic beast once went on a rampage. A young man wearing a robe gazed out over the dried-out expanse that mages called a magical lake. The silver-haired girl standing next to him looked up at her companion. “What’s in a place like this, Valt? It’s definitely thick with magic, but…” “You can’t see it, but it all starts now,” he answered, running a hand through his light-brown hair. They were outside the Farsas castle city, but Valt was still concealing his magic. He’d put a fair distance between himself and the witch, but there were others in this land. To ensure the path to their destination went smoothly, he’d lent a bit of help and guidance, but he didn’t want anything more to be expected of him. Valt would only risk stirring up trouble with his own magic as an absolute last resort. “She should be noticing it right about now. Let’s see what she’s got.” “The Witch of the Azure Moon? Will she really come all the way out here?” the silver-haired girl asked. “She will. She has eyes all over the mainland. Especially out here,” Valt answered. He looked up at the sky. The gray cat that raced among the clouds was the witch’s familiar. That was how she searched all across the land. The witch being unable to give up on the man was her destiny. That’s how Valt knew she’d notice a tipping of the scales like this right away. “We’ll have to hide in the clouds for a little bit, too. I don’t want to go

toe to toe with her,” Valt said. Though his magic far exceeded that of the ordinary mage…and he held memories no other person could, any of the witches could easily twist him into surrendering. Such was the gap of strength between them. “The only one who could face off against a witch head-on and kill her is the Akashia swordsman.” “By Akashia swordsman, do you mean the crown prince of Farsas? Are you going to make him kill her?” “He can’t right now. He can’t beat her yet.” Which was why things were still stagnant. The poor witch’s wish remained unfulfilled, and the scales of the world were yet untipped. “Let’s go, Miralys,” Valt said, taking the girl along and leaving the wasteland behind. The gray fog grew even thicker, cloaking their evermore-distant figures. The light of a clear summer sky shone down on the castle training grounds yet again. Tinasha was cooling off in the shade, her sword set aside, when Als came to sit next to her. “You’ve made major progress. Or maybe it’s just your senses returning to you,” he remarked. “Do you really think so? Thank you,” Tinasha replied. After their first match, she’d started regularly showing up at the training grounds to get in some practice. Als recommended some times to drop by— all of them being when he was free and Meredina was away—but his childhood friend might have picked up on that. He felt bad for Meredina, but because the soldiers’ morale went up whenever Tinasha came by, he welcomed the mage’s visits. Tinasha had her arms folded over her knees, and her head was resting on top of them. “How long do you think it’ll take me to be as good as him?” she asked. “Do you mean His Highness? That’s been impossible for as long as I’ve been practicing a sword. I’ve never beaten him once.” “What? Really?” Tinasha asked, looking up at him with big, round eyes. The sun caught her dark orbs, making them sparkle like black quartz.

Als nodded, retying his boots. “Really. This is just between us, but I was pretty upset after the first time we sparred. I’d kind of looked down on him, thinking royal blood couldn’t be anything special.” “He’s that strong…,” Tinasha said, trailing off and glancing up at the sky as she sighed. Clouds were streaming rapidly by; the winds up there were likely pretty quick. “Lately, His Highness has been fairly good about staying in the castle, but until recently, he was always sneaking off with Lazar to who knows where… That wasn’t too dangerous in and of itself, so I let it be. When I heard he was going to the witch’s tower, though, I thought he’d lost his mind. It was pretty surprising to see he’d come back in one piece.” “I heard he crushed the tower’s guardian beasts easily,” Tinasha said. “Are we sure he’s human?” Als muttered. They both sighed. Als combed back his red hair so it wouldn’t get in his way. “Couldn’t you just use magic? Can you not use it at close range or something?” “Normally, I have a barrier up, but don’t forget that he carries Akashia with him,” reminded Tinasha. “Oh…right, yeah,” Als said. The royal sword that granted absolute protection from all magic. It had been two years now since Oscar first armed himself with the enemy of all mages. “I guess it’s impossible,” Als concluded. “It really is,” sighed Tinasha. The general made it sound so final that she felt a little panicked. Als apparently took notice and gave her a pitying look. “Isn’t it still possible to get him to train you?” “Mmmm… I don’t really want to show him my hand just yet. I still don’t know how things are going to turn out.” “I see, I see…” The youngest general in Farsas tilted his head thoughtfully. “Yeah, I think it’s impossible,” he reiterated. “Noooo!” cried Tinasha. She looked even more anguished than she had a moment ago. For an instant, Als thought she’d fainted from the agony of it all, but she’d merely sagged listlessly to the ground.

Finished with practice, Tinasha was walking along a connecting passage when someone called out to her, and she stopped in her tracks. No one else could hear the voice that had spoken. Tinasha went outside and walked up to the base of a huge tree in the gardens. “Litola.” “I’m glad you appear well, Master. You’ve been blessed with a good contract holder,” said Litola. “You think so?” Tinasha asked. Litola, sitting in the upper branches of the tree, jumped and landed on the ground silently, then bowed. “You seem like you’re having much more fun now than you used to.” “I suppose it is fun, but… Well, it’s not bad,” the witch said, shrugging as she made a face. In reply, Litola frowned a little. “Shouldn’t you just marry him? It doesn’t look like things will change in a year or even a hundred.” “They’ll change, they’ll change. Besides, I have no desire for a spouse,” Tinasha said, waving her hand dismissively. At this very human gesture, Litola bowed their head respectfully. “I’ve said too much. Please forgive me. I have completed my assigned investigation, so today, I’ve come to report.” “All right, go ahead.” The curtain hiding Tinasha’s emotions fell from her dark eyes. Her gaze was like a completely still pool of water. This was her witch’s face, the one very different from the expressions she normally showed Oscar and Als. Silently, Tinasha listened to the report. She clicked her tongue in irritation when Litola finished. The witch appeared in Oscar’s study just as he and Lazar were taking a break to play spinning tops. Her sudden intrusion caught both men off guard. She wasn’t wearing her usual mage’s robe or fluttery clothing but a formfitting magical costume made of black fabric inlaid with sigils. The outfit hugged her curves, and the cut was one not seen in Farsas, lending her a strange, commanding presence and an eye-catching charm. Over it, she was wearing a cloak, yet again inlaid with magical symbols.

Perhaps most unusual of all was a slender sword that hung at Tinasha’s hip. Crystal-embedded wrist braces adorned her hands, and belts affixed to her waist and legs held other items that resembled weapons. In all likelihood, this was her battle ensemble. Oscar was quick to pick up on this and rose to his feet. “What’s happened? Why are you dressed like that?” “I’ll be heading out for two or three days,” she replied curtly, turning to go. Oscar grabbed for her wrist, barely catching hold of it. “Wait, wait. Where are you going?” he demanded. “Does it matter? I’ll come back safely,” she said. “It doesn’t look like you’re just going out to play. You’ve taken off all your sealing ornaments.” To keep up the guise of an apprentice mage, Tinasha normally wore a number of rings and earrings designed to seal her magic. If a normal mage wore even one such item, they wouldn’t be able to cast spells anymore, yet Tinasha wore close to ten while working as a court mage. That was just how powerful she was, but now she’d removed all her shackles. She made to leave the room, but Oscar pulled her back toward him. Lazar rushed to close the door, blocking her exit. “At least tell me where you’re going. You made a contract with me. You can’t just go off and leave,” Oscar pleaded. Tinasha glared in reply. She looked completely unlike her usual self, and Lazar was clearly unnerved by it. Seeing that Oscar wasn’t cowed at all by her flashing eyes, the witch reluctantly admitted, “The magical lake in Old Druza.” “Old Druza?” Oscar repeated, but he quickly understood. “So that’s why that mage was killed.” “What? What? What are you talking about?” Lazar was utterly confused, unable to follow the conversation. Oscar explained, still gripping the witch’s wrist tight. “The guy who was poisoned used to make monthly trips to study the magical lake in Old Druza. Someone who didn’t want him doing that egged his girlfriend on to kill him, right? Pasval was sent to the city to stir up confusion among the royal council and buy time.” Tinasha nodded, confirming Oscar’s guess. “Waves of powerful magic are coursing through the magical lake. I’m going to go investigate and see if

someone’s up to something. Is that acceptable?” she asked, imploring with her eyes for Oscar to release her. Oscar shook his head. “Give me an hour. I’m coming, too.” “What?” Tinasha went agape, but she quickly regained her composure. “That’s not necessary. Rather, the prince should not be roaming about.” “What do you think you’re doing going alone? Under the terms of the treaty, that land belongs to no country, but in reality, Farsas controls it. If something happens and you’re the only one investigating, I won’t have enough of a reason to get the country involved.” He made a good point, and Tinasha’s face softened just a little. She maintained a fierce glare on Oscar, however. “If I take you along, it’s going to be an even bigger problem.” “I’ll assemble a capable team. Fifteen should be good for an investigative mission,” Oscar reasoned to himself. “I am not obligated to protect anyone besides you,” she warned. “I understand,” came the prince’s flat reply. Oscar hadn’t hesitated at all, and Tinasha was left speechless. The prince hadn’t wavered, to an almost enviable degree. He’d made a purpose-driven snap assessment. Surely, this was what made him worthy of the throne—the mark of a strong warrior who could take everything in and stand tall. Tinasha inhaled deeply. Her thoughts were paused, but in their place, an infinite number of memories filtered past her mind’s eye. Sights and sounds she’d lost. Herself as a child. A country on the verge of ruin. Countless… people she’d made contracts with who were no longer alive. It was like the last lingering traces of her sentimentalism. All of it, she could never get back. What about this moment had sparked such thoughts? As Tinasha stared at this man before her, she spoke hoarsely. “One hour… I won’t wait any longer.” “That’s all I need,” Oscar said, finally releasing her. He left the room to begin getting everything ready. Exactly one hour later, a group of fifteen, including Oscar and Tinasha, had gathered. Soon they would step onto a transportation array that would bring them to a fortress on the northern border. There were nine soldiers,

including Meredina, and four mages. Everyone had protested Als going, saying that the castle would be lost without him, so the general had stayed behind. For that same reason, Chief Mage Kumu also wasn’t part of the group. Both of them had shown up to see everyone off, though, perhaps out of worry. Tinasha was standing in a corner still looking a little sullen. While they waited, one of the mages in the party came to say hello. “My name is Sylvia. I think this is the first time we’ve spoken. It’s nice to meet you.” She had glossy blond hair and a cute face. The mage looked to be around twenty years old. She exuded a kind of natural warmth that helped melt Tinasha’s irritation. Breaking into a smile, Tinasha replied, “It’s nice to meet you, too.” “Um, is that a dragon?” asked Sylvia. She pointed to the red dragon the size of a hawk perched on Tinasha’s shoulder. The dragon in question yawned, paying her no mind. “Yes. But it’s not really used to people, so be careful.” “Wow… I’ve never seen a dragon before,” said Sylvia. “Tinasha!” came a man’s loud, well-projected voice. There was only one person in the whole castle who referred to her that way with no “Miss” before it. Summoned by the one with whom she’d contracted, Tinasha nodded at Sylvia before running over to him. Oscar caught sight of the dragon, and his eyes widened. “What’s that?” he asked. “When I was planning to go alone, I summoned it to ride there,” Tinasha explained. “That doesn’t look big enough to carry a passenger,” Oscar observed, ending their conversation there. He then addressed the group. “We’re going to investigate the magical lake in Old Druza. We don’t know what’s going to happen, so be careful. Also, do what she says,” Oscar ordered, reaching around the dragon to place a hand on Tinasha’s head. The dragon looked up at Oscar curiously. The order caught Tinasha off guard. “Is it okay to say that?” she hissed. “Well, we can’t explain the full story,” Oscar replied quietly. “You’re so strange,” Tinasha said. Regius had been a little strange, too, but Oscar was in a league of his own.

Tinasha glanced over at Sylvia, who appeared somewhat troubled. As she did, the witch also caught sight of a sour-faced Meredina. She then took in Als, Kumu, and Lazar in turn, all of whom were wearing concerned expressions. Finally, she looked up at Oscar, who smiled a little when he felt her gaze on him. “It’ll be fine. I’ll handle it.” His voice was a pleasant hum. Tinasha inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. As she did, memories of the day she’d left this castle to fight against Druza flashed through her mind. “Let’s go, Tinasha. I need your power.” The recollection was ephemeral, like a bubble on the water’s edge. No one from that time was still alive. Everything eventually flowed on, leaving Tinasha behind. Yet she was still stuck in the same place. That was what she had chosen for herself. Tinasha lifted her face. Her long eyelashes fluttered open, and she gave everyone such a beautiful smile that, for a moment, enchanted them all. The sentimentality overflowing from her eyes was nothing but pure, crystal-clear loneliness. A light that loved and adored the fleeting lives of mortals. Oscar was stunned by it for a short while. Sensing him gasp, Tinasha turned to look up at him. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “Ah… Nothing.” The prince averted his gaze, and Tinasha was left with no idea what he was thinking. “Let’s go,” Tinasha said, re-centering herself. As she spoke, the transportation array began to move. Having been teleported to the northern border fortress of Ynureid, the party borrowed horses and crossed the national border to ride for Old Druza’s magical lake. The entire environment was still cloaked in gray fog yearround—something many assumed to be some sort of lasting aftereffect of the war seventy years earlier. Visibility was poor, but the group relied on the magic sunk deep into the ground to guide them. After riding for an hour, the hazy landscape at last began to demonstrate some observable change.

At the vanguard, galloping along side by side with Tinasha, Oscar frowned. “What a view. Looks like someone’s nightmare.” Every so often, a tree would appear with twisted, spindly branches and a crooked trunk. Nothing but these leafless, snakelike trees and fallen rocks surrounded them; it looked like another world entirely. Tinasha replied without turning toward Oscar. “It was pretty much destroyed seventy years ago. This is actually better than it looked back then, but it’ll take another two centuries for it to completely self-purify.” “So we’re not even halfway there. It must’ve been pretty bad at the time, huh?” The witch riding next to Oscar was the one who’d brought a close to that historic battle. Tinasha patted down parts of her hair that had gotten mussed in the wind. “Yeah… It was incredibly tough. That beast isn’t remembered as a terrible magic weapon for nothing, after all. It was everything I could do just to seal it away.” “If even you couldn’t beat it, doesn’t that make it pretty damn strong? Did they really deploy something like that in battle?” Oscar wondered. “It couldn’t be fully controlled. I think they just dropped it into the conflict and let it go wild. I’m glad I decided to seal it, though. Considering the situation, if we had fought it head-on, the carnage would have been gruesome.” Tinasha speaking so candidly about a war from so long ago while looking like a beautiful young woman made it sound like a fairy tale; it didn’t feel real. She looked up at the fog-covered sky. “The magical lake is right up ahead… Even so, I think the horses are almost at their limit. Any more, and we’ll ride them to exhaustion.” Tinasha was right. The horses’ strength and speed had been starting to wane. They were probably more sensitive than their riders to the surroundings. The party had no choice but to hitch their mounts to nearby trees and continue on foot. As they walked, Tinasha murmured a light incantation and lifted her hand. Oscar sensed that the air surrounding him had changed and looked around. “What did you do?” he asked. “I set up a barrier. The miasma was growing thick.” After she’d commented on it, Oscar noticed that everyone was looking somewhat pale

and unwell. With Tinasha’s barrier in place, the group quickly recovered. Oscar, who hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary at all, pointed to his own face. “Was I spared the effects because of your protection?” he asked. “Correct. I can protect you from the miasma without lifting a finger,” Tinasha answered, grinning. Behind her, a young mage named Doan muttered, “Temys’s reports didn’t mention any miasma…” “Maybe something’s happening.” “I’d like to avoid any sort of historic events in the making…,” Doan said, shaking grit out of his dark-gray hair. He was widely seen as next in line to be chief mage, but considering his crafty tendency to keep his talents hidden, he acted more like a worldly bureaucrat. He made no secret of his mild concerns. Oscar answered, “You don’t get to be in something like that just by thinking about it anyway. I should know. I used to wish I could be in one all the time as a kid.” Doan looked visibly disheartened at that reply smacking of adventurous curiosity, and Tinasha gave a little sigh. They were almost at the magical lake. It was a wasteland, stripped of water and grass. The same thick murk blanketed everything, making it hard to see more than ten steps ahead. The cracked earth was bone-dry, but every so often, invisible ripples undulated slightly above the ground like waves. Oscar stared at one ripple that slipped past his feet. “This is my first time here… Are these waves normal?” “More or less,” Tinasha answered. She then began reciting another spell, a longer one this time. In response, a giant circular design spread out on the ground. When she finished her incantation, red threads floated up from the outer edge of the circle. They knit together above the design, forming a half-sphere-shaped cage. “Don’t go beyond this and wait here for a little while. I’m going to go take a look around,” she ordered. “Ah, wait, Tinasha,” Oscar said, grabbing after her arm immediately, but the witch had already floated into the air. In an instant, she’d disappeared

into the fog. Doan watched her go, murmuring, “Just what is she…?” “She’s a bit of an eccentric. I want to bring her back…,” Oscar said. He’d followed Tinasha in the hopes of preventing her from going off alone, but he’d lost sight of her. He wanted to go after her, but the fog made that difficult. However…since he alone had Tinasha’s protection, he could probably leave and move around just fine. Oscar glanced down at the royal sword at his waist. Meredina took notice and was just about to say something when there came a cry from another soldier. “Th-the fog!” When the group turned to look, high waves of thick fog were rolling in. In an instant, they had poured into the barrier, making it impossible for anyone to see. Screams pierced the air, and disorder threatened to take over. “Stay calm! Don’t move!” shouted Oscar. Even if they couldn’t see anything, they only had to stay inside the barrier. Such was the logical conclusion from the man who knew Tinasha’s true identity. The strange mist, as if mocking Oscar’s orders, seemed to thicken. It was freezing cold. Just as Oscar was about to click his tongue in annoyance, he heard the distant, high-pitched scream of a girl echo from somewhere in the distance. “Tinasha?” Oscar only hesitated for a second. He shouted to his subordinates, “Stay here! I’ll be right back!” “Your Highness!” The prince stepped out into a sea of fog, unsheathing his sword. He advanced through the floating gray sea in pursuit of his protector. The farther into the gloom he traveled, the more he felt the air around him warping. After some time had passed, the fog finally thinned out a little. Oscar noticed a figure up ahead and made for it, but someone caught hold of his hand from behind. “Your Highness… You can’t.” “Meredina? You followed me?” Meredina, the army officer, was holding on to Oscar with a desperate